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The now classic TomTom GO design heralded the beginning of the dedicated portable turn by turn navigation device.

Indeed the term 'TomTom' is now used as a reference to satnav by many in much the same way as we use the term 'Hoover' when referring to vacuum cleaners.

Launched in 2004, the original GO developed a huge following. It's design was iconic and it ticked so many boxes from the start that later models have struggled to improve on the format.

The original GO had a SiRFStarII GPS chip set so was less sensitive that current devices but the interface would be instantly recognisable to anyone who has ever used a TomTom.

TomTom have enjoyed a rapid growth in the five years since the original GO was launched and whilst times may be a little harder at present, TomTom will no doubt be here reporting the GO's 10th birthday in five years time.

In the disposable society in which we live, it would be interesting to know how many of those old products are still being used.

Certainly my original Tom Tom Classic which I bought when they first came to market, is still working well and is used on an almost daily basis. I upgraded to a 700 when they became available and passed on my Classic to another family member.

Both have, and continue to provide faultless service and \I have no intention of upgrading until one fails.

There will always be a market for the latest products, because consumers love them, but gimmicks / styling / street cred apart, the original products get you from A-B very efficiently.

Congratulations Tom Tom!

Pinkpanther

Posted by Pinkpanther on Wed Mar 18, 2009 3:40 pm

Of course by Classic, I meant the "Original GO"

Cheers,

Pinkpanther

Posted by Darren on Wed Mar 18, 2009 4:02 pm

My original 700 is still alive and kicking and doing sterling service with the in-laws. I did pass on a 910 but they preferred the 700.

Darren Griffin - Editor

Posted by skutter on Wed Mar 18, 2009 8:44 pm

I'm still using my tom tom one v1 (classic)

Posted by DennisN on Wed Mar 18, 2009 9:02 pm

Almost every time I see Vera's son in law, my fingers itch for a baseball bat to steal back my 700. I tentatively tried to broach the subject of an exchange for my 720 or 920, but couldn't quite get through.

Dennis

If it tastes good - it's fattening.

Two of them are obesiting!!

Posted by PaulB2005 on Wed Mar 18, 2009 9:54 pm

Delivery man who dropped a parcel off for a neighbour today had one...

In fact it's probably the model / series i see most often left in a van waiting for some sticky fingered chap to lift......

Posted by rbrtrophy on Fri Mar 20, 2009 8:49 am

I'm still using my TT rider (albeit the 3rd one due to the other 2 having packed up! and having to go through purgatory to get them replaced )
and I would like to thank all of you folk out there who have written the software and improvements to Tomtom stuff, because if you hadn't tomtom, I have no doubt, would still be in the dark ages!

Jim

Posted by Darren on Fri Mar 20, 2009 8:57 am

Ignoring TomToms current issues, it's worth congratulating them on the original design. Not only was the design iconic from the off but so was the software.

The interface is in its 5th major revision and still looks almost identical. No-one has bettered the UI and it is one of the reasons it has been so successful. It truly was a pick up and play interface with no manual required. That's no mean feat when the technology was so new.

Darren Griffin - Editor

Posted by laidlawbob on Fri Mar 20, 2009 9:55 am

I am still using my faithful Go Classic purchased in November 2005. It has always been reliable and still works well although the battery doesn't last quite as long. I don't plan to replace it unless it packs up.

I wonder what the oldest GO Classic still in working order and being used is?

Laidlaw Bob

Posted by Vorix on Fri Mar 20, 2009 10:26 am

4 years on and mine is doing sterling service - a couple of map upgrades have kept things current and I see no real reason to change.

A major plus for me is that the battery life is still huge - 5+ hours. My understanding is that the latest models only run for a couple of hours.

As far as the chipset is concerned, mine seems to get a lock pretty quickly - within 30 seconds or so. Certainly not worth paying £100+ to save a few seconds, IMHO.

Posted by AshleyHinton on Fri Mar 20, 2009 12:54 pm

Still using my original "classic" too.
In fact it did a fantastic job yesterday putting me right outside the door.
Wonderful device, simple, hassle free, it works.
The UI is amazingly good, and as someone said here its yet to be bettered.

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